Space Jam: A New Legacy (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) is the soundtrack album to the 2021 live-action/animated sports comedy film Space Jam: A New Legacy produced by Warner Animation Group and distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures.[1][2] It was released on July 9, 2021, by Republic Records and WaterTower Music.[3][4][5] It featured various artists performing on the album, including Lil Baby, Kirk Franklin, Saint Jhn, SZA, John Legend, Lil Wayne, Saweetie, Jonas Brothers, 24kGoldn, Lil Uzi Vert, Chance the Rapper, Joyner Lucas, Big Freedia, G-Eazy, and Kash Doll.[6]
| Space Jam: A New Legacy (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) | |
|---|---|
.png) | |
| Soundtrack album by various artists | |
| Released | July 9, 2021 |
| Genre | |
| Length | 47:41 |
| Label | |
| Producer | Various
|
| Space Jam: A New Legacy (Score from the Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Film score by | ||||
| Released | July 16, 2021 | |||
| Recorded | April 2021 | |||
| Genre |
| |||
| Length | 1:08:05 | |||
| Label | WaterTower | |||
| Producer | Kris Bowers | |||
| Kris Bowers chronology | ||||
| ||||
Two lead singles were released, prior to the soundtrack, for promotional purposes.[7] Lil Baby and Franklin's "We Win" was released as the first track on May 19, 2021,[8][9] and its music video was released two months later, on July 28 (after the film's release). The video featured Baby and Franklin, while snippets from the film were also played.[10] The song upon release was streamed by over 4.5 million listeners as of mid-June.[11] Jhn and SZA's song "Just For Me" was released as the second single from the album on June 11.[12]
The film's score is composed by Kris Bowers,[13][14] who replaced Hans Zimmer as the composer in January 2021.[15] WaterTower Music released the original score album on July 16, 2021, coinciding with the film's theatrical and premium video-on-demand streaming release via HBO Max.[16]
Background
editKier Lehman and Morgan Rhodes served as the music supervisors.[17] They wanted "songs that were fun as we ushered in a new generation, that would help move the excitement as the game moves to give a nod to what came before",[17] which resulted in a soundtrack featuring prominent artists. Speaking to Variety, both Rhodes and Lehman said "We both loved the original soundtrack, but I don’t know that we necessarily felt pressure. We were just so excited to continue what had been started. Music has changed, but we have an opportunity to showcase the natural sound of music, as well as bringing in artists who were on the first soundtrack."[17]
In an interview to Billboard, Spencer Beighley, head of film at SpringHill stated that the film's music was consistent over the scripting process, as "When you think about the original soundtrack, it’s such a melting pot [...] You have Quad City DJ's, you have a Steve Miller Band cover, you have a six-minute D’Angelo track, and it transcended the movie, in a way. So we knew that with the soundtrack for this one, that whole idea of making a soundtrack for this generation, but still having that melting pot, was something we all really wanted."[11] Republic Records A&R representative, Sammie Taylor, wanted a "cross generational soundtrack that appeals for all ages, similar to the first film soundtrack", which she confessed it as the "hardest part".[18] Salt-N-Pepa, which recorded "Upside Down (‘Round-N-‘Round)" for the first film, collaborated with Saweetie and Kash Doll for the track "Hoops", thereby becoming the first artist to feature on both soundtracks.[11][19]
Track listing
edit| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "We Win" (Lil Baby and Kirk Franklin) |
|
| 3:15 |
| 2. | "Control the World" (24kGoldn featuring Lil Wayne) |
|
| 2:16 |
| 3. | "See Me Fly" (Chance the Rapper featuring John Legend and Symba) |
|
| 2:23 |
| 4. | "Hoops" (Saweetie featuring Salt-N-Pepa and Kash Doll) |
| Goldstein | 2:42 |
| 5. | "Pump Up the Jam" (Lil Uzi Vert) |
| 2:15 | |
| 6. | "Just for Me" (Saint Jhn featuring SZA) |
| Morrissey | 3:37 |
| 7. | "Crowd Go Crazy" (John Legend) |
|
| 3:00 |
| 8. | "Mercy" (Jonas Brothers) |
|
| 3:01 |
| 9. | "Gametime" (Lil Tecca and Aminé) |
|
| 3:11 |
| 10. | "About That Time" (Dame D.O.L.L.A., G-Eazy, P-Lo and White Dave) |
|
| 3:11 |
| 11. | "MVP" (Brockhampton) |
|
| 2:51 |
| 12. | "Settle the Score" (Cordae and Duckwrth) |
|
| 2:29 |
| 13. | "Goin' Looney" (Big Freedia) |
|
| 3:40 |
| 14. | "Shoot My Shot" (Joyner Lucas) |
| Juicebox Slim | 3:22 |
| 15. | "My Guy" (Leon Bridges) |
| 3:20 | |
| 16. | "The Best" (Anthony Ramos) |
|
| 3:01 |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "A New Legacy" | 0:41 |
| 2. | "Look at His Likes" | 2:39 |
| 3. | "The Warner 3000" | 1:14 |
| 4. | "Get a New Algorithm" | 1:33 |
| 5. | "That's Not What I Want" | 1:34 |
| 6. | "Into the Serververse" | 2:13 |
| 7. | "Are All Computers Like This?" | 4:15 |
| 8. | "Meeting Bugs Bunny" | 6:38 |
| 9. | "The Dream Team" | 1:55 |
| 10. | "Not the Team I Asked For" | 2:24 |
| 11. | "The Basics" | 1:56 |
| 12. | "Turn Up Down" | 2:50 |
| 13. | "Time For an Upgrade" | 3:40 |
| 14. | "Start Game" | 3:20 |
| 15. | "Serververse Grade" | 3:56 |
| 16. | "Chronos" | 2:32 |
| 17. | "Michael "B" Jordan" | 2:39 |
| 18. | "Let's Go Tunes" | 5:16 |
| 19. | "I Am the Game" | 4:27 |
| 20. | "Sic' Em Goons" | 1:36 |
| 21. | "The Step-Back Glitch" | 2:29 |
| 22. | "The Final Play" | 1:02 |
| 23. | "Posterized" | 2:01 |
| 24. | "That's All Folks" | 2:22 |
| 25. | "Back To Reality / The Merry Go Round Broke Down" | 2:53 |
Additional music
edit2 Unlimited's "Get Ready for This", one of the songs from the first film, is briefly heard in one scene with Al-G and Dom.[20] "Sirius", an instrumental song by Alan Parsons Project that serves as the entrance anthem for the Chicago Bulls, is heard briefly when Sylvester brings out Michael B. Jordan to the Tune Squad, who believe that its the basketball player Michael Jordan even though he isn't.[20]
Reception
edit| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Pitchfork | 2.3/10[21] |
| Rolling Stone |    [22] |
Like the movie itself, the soundtrack also received a negative response from critics. Pitchfork's Alphonse Pierre called the soundtrack as "soulless and gratuitous" as the film and gave 2.3/10 to the album.[21] Rolling Stone-based Jayson Buford gave one-and-a-half out of five, wrote "Nobody who writes about this soundtrack wants it to be bad, but something for kids shouldn’t be this manufactured. The messages in pop culture for kids can inform a new generation and create memories that are passed down to the next generations. Or, it can just be plain old fun. Instead, this movie is stale and the soundtrack is worse."[22] The Ringer's Justin Charity stated "The sequel was always going to be craven and stupid. But the musicians might have once again seized the opportunity to help make this children’s movie feel bigger than it ought to be. Yet the movie and the soundtrack both feel small, and the latter almost sounds determined to be forgotten by all but the algorithm as soon as it’s possible."[23] Soul In Stereo, in a positive note, wrote "Like the film its promotes, his soundtrack too often feels like a nostalgic cash in, and most of the artists here don’t seem all that interested themselves. but a soundtrack promoting a kids movie – us old heads may be bored to tears, but younger fans will have a ball, fueling nostalgic memories for years to come."[24]
References
edit- ^ English, Laura (June 18, 2021). "The Space Jam: A New Legacy Soundtrack Is Here & It's Massive". Music Feeds. Archived from the original on June 24, 2021. Retrieved June 20, 2021.
- ^ Anderton, Ethan (June 16, 2021). "'Space Jam: A New Legacy' Soundtrack Details Revealed, Quad City DJ's Are Nowhere To Be Found". SlashFilm.com. Archived from the original on October 4, 2022. Retrieved June 14, 2022.
- ^ Ihaza, Jeff (June 16, 2021). "'Space Jam: A New Legacy' Soundtrack Wants To Be as Iconic as the Original". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on June 19, 2021. Retrieved June 20, 2021.
- ^ Sinha, Charu (July 9, 2021). "Come On and Slam, Welcome to the Space Jam 2 Soundtrack". Vulture. Archived from the original on July 10, 2021. Retrieved July 10, 2021.
- ^ "'Space Jam: A New Legacy' soundtrack arrives featuring Lil Wayne, Saweetie, G-Eazy and more". NME. July 9, 2021. Archived from the original on June 14, 2022. Retrieved June 14, 2022.
- ^ "Chance The Rapper, Brockhampton, Lil Uzi Vert, & More Have New Songs On 'Space Jam: A New Legacy' Soundtrack". Stereogum. July 9, 2021. Archived from the original on June 14, 2022. Retrieved June 14, 2022.
- ^ Eason, Hannah (May 24, 2021). "How to win 'space jammies' and mac & cheese honoring 'Space Jam: A New Legacy'". NBC12. Archived from the original on July 28, 2021. Retrieved June 14, 2022.
- ^ Kreps, Daniel (May 21, 2021). "Lil Baby, Kirk Franklin Team Up for 'Space Jam: A New Legacy' Song 'We Win'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved June 14, 2022.
- ^ "Lil Baby and Kirk Franklin share new song 'We Win' from 'Space Jam: A New Legacy'". NME. May 23, 2021. Archived from the original on June 14, 2022. Retrieved June 14, 2022.
- ^ Kreps, Daniel (July 28, 2021). "Lil Baby, Kirk Franklin Drop Video for 'Space Jam' Song 'We Win'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved June 14, 2022.
- ^ a b c Lipshutz, Jason (June 23, 2021). "Inside Look: How the 'Space Jam: A New Legacy' Soundtrack Honors the Spirit of the Best-Selling Original". Billboard. Retrieved June 14, 2022.
- ^ "SZA and SAINt JHN Share Space Jam: A New Legacy Song "Just for Me"". Pitchfork. June 11, 2021. Archived from the original on June 14, 2022. Retrieved June 14, 2022.
- ^ "A Surprise "Space Jam 2" Teaser Reveals LeBron James in Tune Squad Jersey | Motion Pictures Association". Archived from the original on September 23, 2020. Retrieved August 5, 2020.
- ^ "Kris Bowers to Score Malcolm D. Lee's 'Space Jam 2'". Film Music Reporter. April 16, 2020. Archived from the original on April 20, 2020. Retrieved April 16, 2020.
- ^ Chitwood, Adam (January 7, 2020). "Hans Zimmer Taking Over as 'No Time to Die' Composer with an Insane Time Crunch". Collider. Archived from the original on February 28, 2020. Retrieved April 8, 2020.
- ^ "'Space Jam: A New Legacy' Score Album Details". Film Music Reporter. Archived from the original on June 14, 2022. Retrieved June 14, 2022.
- ^ a b c Tangcay, Jazz (July 19, 2021). "'Space Jam 2: A New Legacy' Music Supervisor on Sequel Soundtrack's Needle Drops and New Additions". Variety. Archived from the original on June 14, 2022. Retrieved June 14, 2022.
- ^ "Stream the 'Space Jam: A New Legacy' Soundtrack f/ Lil Baby, SZA, Lil Uzi Vert, Saweetie, and More". Complex. Archived from the original on June 14, 2022. Retrieved June 14, 2022.
- ^ Atkinson, Katie (June 16, 2021). "'Space Jam: A New Legacy' Soundtrack Recruits Lil Baby, Jonas Brothers, Saweetie & More". Billboard. Retrieved June 14, 2022.
- ^ a b Letona, Joshua (July 21, 2021). "Space Jam 2 Soundtrack: Every Song In A New Legacy". ScreenRant. Archived from the original on March 27, 2022. Retrieved September 9, 2021.
- ^ a b Pierre, Alphonse (July 15, 2021). "Various Artists: Space Jam: A New Legacy Album Review". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on July 19, 2021. Retrieved July 19, 2021.
- ^ a b Buford, Jayson (July 19, 2021). "The 'Space Jam: A New Legacy' Soundtrack Is an Insult to Children". Rolling Stone. Retrieved June 14, 2022.
- ^ Charity, Justin (July 21, 2021). "The 'Space Jam: A New Legacy' Soundtrack Is Utterly Forgettable". The Ringer. Archived from the original on June 14, 2022. Retrieved June 14, 2022.
- ^ Bowser, Edward (July 18, 2021). "Album Review: Space Jam: A New Legacy Soundtrack". Soul In Stereo. Archived from the original on August 24, 2023. Retrieved June 14, 2022.